Friday, August 31, 2012

Race #10 : torchlight 5k

Hurricane Issac was the theme of the run. It started pouring when I left the grocery store this afternoon and would let up for a few minutes before starting again. I was soaked before the race even started.

The course was a T and the rain stopped for most of the race. The top of the T was up and down hills, wet hills and it was miserable. I was aiming for sub 12 min miles for the whole thing and ended up with an average pace of 11:55. My splits didn't look as pretty though.

Mile 1 : 11:44
Mile 2 : 11:40
Mile 3 : 12:47
Mile 4 : 9:30

My official chip time was 37:49. I placed 407/536 overall and 51/73 for my age group.

4 of the nurses from my ER ended up running it also and this was the first time I've had anyone at the finish cheering for me, as they all finished before me. We all went back to the ER to grab our things and change into whatever dry clothes we had and then went out for dinner and beer afterwards.

Overall it wasn't a bad race for my first ever in the rain and was fun overall.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Back to it!

I went to the gym yesterday (Wednesday) and finally cranked out that 5 miler that I just haven't been able to get through. I know they say don't go back and try to makeup runs you missed but I can't see not doing all those runs and jumping into the 7 miler this weekend. Instead I'm planning on running 4 days a week with 2 days of cross training, giving me one rest day.

I've also started lifting weights. I had this book called "the body sculpting bible for women" my senior year of high school and used it for a month or so before I finally got tired of waking up at 6am to go to the gym (I am not a morning person!) but I really saw a quick improvement in my health and so I found the book and have started using it again. The plan is 3 days a week and makes suggestion for core and cardio also. I'm planning on sticking with my cardio plan but will probably look at some of the core plans in the book and maybe do some core strengthens classes at the gym.

I'm running an extra race this month. Several of the nurses and a doctor or two are running a local race and asked me to join them. It's a Friday evening 5k in downtown and happens to match up with the 3 miles I was planning to run anyway so I figured I've never run a race with a group of people I knew before and it just might be fun.

As for my absence on the blog, I apologize, some things happened that caused me to feel overwhelmed with life and well I felt my time was best spent working on fixing me first. I ope you understand.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Proof

I'm not lying when I say I don't eat many sweets. I was cleaning out the fridge today an found this! Yes that's Santa, yes it's August.

Friday, August 17, 2012

A New Certification and a Good Run

Another day of my TNCC training class, the last day as a matter of fact. I passed the test and the practical without much difficulty. The only thing I missed on my practical was log rolling the patient off the backboard, inspecting the back and checking rectal tone. Not something I actually do as checking the spine isn't actually in my scope of practice.

As for my run, I ran 3 miles per the training plan. I ran it on the treadmill since it was so hot and humid outside and it started raining just as I got to the gym. It wasn't that I've never run in those conditions, I just didn't feel like it today. Anyway, I started out at a 5.0 mph pace and ran mile 1 at that pace without stopping and then walked at 3.5 for 0.25, then ran at 5.0 for 0.75, another walk break for 0.25 and then I ran for 0.50 then I jogged for the last 0.5 to finish it out. It was a nice treadmill run but my left calf was tight during the run, nothing painful really but noticeable.

After my run I went to on of the local running stores, well actually it is geared towards the triathlete. I picked up some more KT tape and a North Face shirt that was half-priced. It's the same shirt that I wear for most of my races, you can see it in my blogger profile pictures, LOL!

Tomorrow is back to the real work, 2 12 hour shifts in trauma and then a whole day off!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

So I was in class all day, 7 to 5, which was actually kind of nice to only have a 10 hour  work day, isnt that a sad thought that I'm excited about a 10 our day? It did allow me to go to the gym and get in my workout from yesterday that I skipped.

I had a pretty low day overall. I was annoyed and I didn't do much to some people of beware of late. Usually when I'm upset my response is to binge, drink, or smoke. Today I managed to not do any of those and instead took my anger out on the treadmill. I was pretty proud of myself overall. I'm not very proud of running hills and having shin splints and a side stitch but I did the 2.5 miles!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Lazy Tuesday

I didn't do my scheduled run today. I did however finally get the registration taken care of for my car, had an eye exam, and not much else.

I have to be at work at 0700 tomorrow for a class so I am going to bed early.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Motivational Monday

Well since I worked all day and I didn't have a workout on the calendar, I give you motivational Monday.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Meal Prep and Cross Training

Took the time today to plan out my meals for the week and to prepare the meals for the days I have to work. I am scheduled 2 days of bedside nursing and 2 days of class and when I have to work I tend to eat in the cafeteria and even though it's a hospital the choices aren't that healthy. I'm also making an effort to eat a serving of vegetables and a serving fruit everyday. So true to my OCD I used my big dry erase board to plan out every meal for the week and my training and my eye doctor appointment. :)
Meal Planning/Training/My Ceiling Fan
As you can see I have breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack/work&workout planned out Sun-Sat. You can also see the reflection of my ceiling fan. Ha!

As for the training, today called for 20-30 minutes of an easy run or cross training. Right now an easy "run" is actually more of a walk so I figured I would head to the gym for a swim.

I took a swim class a few years ago when I was heavier and while we very rarely swam laps I don't remember it being that hard! I had to swim a length and rest, repeat. I can definitely see this becoming a great cross training especially since I can easily measure my improvement in three ways, number of lengths I can swim without stopping and distance in general and then eventually time.

The turkey loaf I made for dinner turned out delicious and I stuffed myself. I've never made this before. My favorite dish my mother made when I was growing up was always meatloaf. Since I've been on my not cooking red meat kick for a while now I wanted to make a really a real meal instead of the pizza and sandwiches I normally live off of. I know my mom makes her meatloaf tomato sauce and the recipe I used was with ketchup. Next time I think I will use the same recipe but substitute tomato sauce.  

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Busy day!

Yesterday was a pretty awesome day! I ran the wounded warrior 5K, went to my cousins last little league game of the season, gave blood and then took my cousins to the park and played for a few hours while my aunt went to a wedding.

For specifics on the Wounded Warrior 5K you can read my race recap in the previous post. I do want to talk about the fact that it's the first time I ran a race and then had to continue to run to finish up my mileage for a training plan. Honestly this is the first time I've used an honest to goodness training plan. I didn't mind it so much as I was just ready to be done. In hindsight there are two reasons for this, 1 I didn't plan my extra and ended up just running aimlessly around the park but I knew I wanted to end up back at my car so I didn't stray to far; and 2 was that I didn't bring water with me because I assumed that the race would have a water stop and that I'd be good on water with that, I was wrong and had to run 4 miles sans hydration. This is also the first time I've used KT tape! I've having some problems with plantar fasciitis and I stopped by the running store and picked up some KT tape. I could definitely tell it made a difference in my stride and my calf muscle on the left felt a little sore afterward but overall my foot felt great so I think I'll keep using it.
KT tape
After the run I grabbed a bite to eat and some water and headed to my cousins last little league game of the year! Can I just say that watching kids this young play baseball is adorable! Some of them are really good but they still want to play in the dirt when they can! His younger sister also plays t-ball in the same league and my aunt informed me that when his sister plays, J runs on the track around the fields and has told her that he's training to run a marathon with me! I thought it was so cute but I did tell him after his game that you would have to run the track 105 times to make a marathon (it's a 1/4 mile) he didn't want to run that marathon anymore but he's up for a 5K or 10K anytime he told me! Also, is it just me or does running a 1/4 mile track 105 times still sound better than running 26.2 miles?
J up to bat!
After the ball game I went to give blood at a memorial blood drive in honor of a paramedic I know well son. He passed away 2 years ago and this is her second blood drive in his memory. I saw a lot of EMT and paramedics that I know from the city and a couple of my coworkers, I'm glad that at least a handful of people from my ER came out to support her.
Bleeding for a good cause!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Race #9 Wounded Warrior 5k

My August race was the wounded warrior 5k.

There were marines and puppies, need I say more?

I will say this though, someone made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and we all followed making the race only 2.5 miles. I figured out the mistake after the race since I had to get in my 4 miles anyway.

The race had no water stops during the race which was kind of horrible but I survived. I managed to survive the whole four miles without stopping for water. Drank a shit ton after though.

My garmin time was 38:22 for the actual 3.1 miles. I crossed the finish line at 31:22 and my garmin read 2.5 miles.

The End of An Affair?

Yesterday was an interesting day. As I said in my previous post I had slept most of the day before so I was up and ready to go with my day at about 1 AM. I tried to go to the gym (the 24 hour gym) and when I got there, the doors were locked!!! I was so ticked. My gym isn't close to my house and is pretty expensive and I joined because of all the amenities and the fact that they are open 24/7 so I drove around a little ticked and decided I wanted some McDonald's breakfast. One McD wouldn't kill me and I really wanted it. 2 closed McD and one that their computers were down later, I was just hungry and wanted anything that resembled food. So I ended up at White Castle, which was a huge mistake! The burgers tasted like pure salt and the Mr. Pibb tasted like pure sugar. I was miserable all day after eating it and was SO gassy it was embarrassing!. I think my love affair with drive thru food may be over.

The weather ended up cooperating for a perfect day for a 3 mile run/walk. My stamina isn't there like it was and the cold still is there so I averaged a 13 minute mile and I'm ok with that. I posted my half-marathon training plan and it was actually supposed to be a rest or CT day but I decided to just do Thursdays run since I'm starting a week and a half into the program anyway.

So I still rock a pager, for work that is. For the most part they page us for things like you have a new patient or for EMS that will be coming in but they also use it to page us when they need additional staffing. I try to work 48 hours a week so I can pay off a few of my bills faster and I was sick last week, so when they paged out On Call (Time and 1/2) & Bonus ($20/hr) for any shift plus I was already in overtime, I figured what the heck! So I ended up picking up an 8 hour shift from 10-6.

I swung by the local race store to pick up my t-shirt and bib for the race and ended up picking up some KT tape as well. I'm starting to have trouble with plantar fasciitis and it has only been a problem when I'm barefoot or towards the end of a 12 hour shift but I don't want it to get worse so I spoke with one of the physical therapists at work and the gentleman at the running store who told me for all day everyday relief I was best to go with the KT tape. I'm not going to lie, I'm super excited to use it.

My post is so late because I ended up coming home from the running store and crawling straight in to bed. Luckly I woke up at 5:45 and have plenty of time to get ready for the run and my busy day today!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Stumbleupon!

So I've never really advertised this blog or told people about it. I've never cared. However, I just wanted to say a great big Hello to everyone visiting from Stumbleupon.

From 0-1 page views a day to 37 views on 8-7 and now I'm still seeing 2-4 page views everyday so welcome! I hope I can keep you entertained!

How much is to much?

I spent most of the day asleep, I tend to do that after a long stretch at work. Now it's 1 AM and I'm awake. Guess who has a 24 hour gym? Yay! I'm thinking a run and some weightlifting are in order.

My goal for 2012 was to run 12 races this year. I'm at 8 so far and my 9th is tomorrow. I am aiming for 3 half marathons, 4 10ks, 5 5ks. So far I'm at 2/2/4 respectively. I had planned to run 1 race a month and leave it at that. My previous racing history included a grand total of 4 races in 2 years, so this was a big goal for me. Now my running friends are trying to get me to more and more races and I'm finding more and more that I'd like to run, but how many is to many? Let's be honest, I'm not running a 5 minute pace or anything. My average time for a 5K is around 38 minutes. Then there is the cost, 20-30 for a 5k, 30-40 for a 10k and 50 + for a half marathon.

So here's I've got planned and italics are the extras
Aug - Wounded Warrior 5K
          Torchlight 5K
Sept - US Air Force 10K
           Alzheimer's Association 5K
Oct - RnR Half Marathon
         Cowbell Half Marathon
         Go! St. Louis Halloween 10K
Nov - D.A.R.E to Run for Backstoppers 10K
          The Skippo 10K Trail Run
          Jefferson County Memorial Hospital Turkey Trot
Dec -  Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run 5K

So at what point is it to many on the 5Ks? Or is that short of a distance really that big of a deal since I'm training for a half marathon?

Thursday, August 9, 2012

- the iene

Caffiene and nicotine that is. In the past 2.5 weeks I've had 1 soda, as opposed to the 2 a day habit I had. In the past week and a half I've had 4 cigarettes, as opposed to the 1/3 pack I'd been smoking for the past month and the pack a day I'd smoked for a decade before that.

All of this another piece of the equation in why I haven't bothered to be in the gym or on the running paths as of late. I've been trying to indulge in as much sleep as I wanted being sick and withdrawing and whatnot.

But again with the excuses, ;)

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Excuses, excuses

I'm still not quite over this cold though I am improving. However, I haven't been getting good sleep at night thanks to the congestion and cough.

Between the cold and work I still haven't made it out for a run or even to the gym. My 2pm to 2am isn't helping the situation. Tomorrow my shift is noon to midnight and it's already 5 am so I definitely have no plans on hitting the gym before I head back to work. I did take the opportunity to spend an hour with my boyfriend after work tonight. I hadn't seen him in a week and his ambulance happened to be posted outside of my hospital. Like they say you make time for the things that are important. :)

I'll hoping be back in the gym Thursday or Friday. Definitely will have a run report for Saturday, if nothing else.

Monday, August 6, 2012

That's What She Said


Not many people know but a quick glance at my list of completed races should give an idea on how I feel about the Go! St. Louis franchise of races. It was the very first 5k I ever registered for and completed, then I did it again the next year and the year after that I did the half marathon and in 2013 I plan on making it my very first marathon!!

Yes I just said that in 8 months time I'm going to run a marathon. 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Race # 9 : Wounded Warrior 5k

My August race for my 12 in 2012 and race #9 for 2012 is the 2nd Annual Wounded Warrior 5k.


Presented by Big River Running Company (a local running store) this is the second year of the race and net proceeds benefit Wounded Warrior Project.

I've run a few races put on by Big River Running and I'm never all that impressed with their management of an event but they are the local force behind many of the races so I can't do much about it.

As for how I want to do on this race, well I don't have high hopes. I haven't run much in months and I've just gotten over a cold and I'll be stuck at work with not much time to get to the gym between now and then. I am however going to set both my A & B goal for personal record.

Goals
A: 35:xx
B: 36:00
C: 39:59

After I finish this I have to get my rear end on a training program and stick with it. I have the USAF 10k in September and I want to kick its ass! (Plus I'd like to be in the 170's)

Saturday, August 4, 2012

It's the Little Things

I love to eat, but I'm not a sweets person, I love all things deep fried and carbs, O-M-G I love carbs.

I hate salads and yogurt. Vegetables just tend to go bad in my fridge. Fruits are hit and miss, sometimes I will  eat them all up in a day or two, sometimes they rot. I'll tell you what never goes bad, pizza and bread. I love pizza and bread.

When I was 200+ pounds a day of meals mostly included fast food, eating out or casseroles, my days included sitting in class 20 hours a week, sitting at a desk for 27 hours or more a week and coming home to sit and study or sit on the couch and watch tv with my boyfriend of the time. It was a poor mix. (I was going to say a recipe for fat but that seemed cheesy.)

My favorite food was always...
Look at all that cheese!
A large Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Lovers (drool). I would normally eat 3 or 4 slices with a soda or a beer. 
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 slice (152g)
 
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 150
Calories 370
 
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 17g26%
 Saturated Fat 8g40%
 Trans Fat 0g 
Cholesterol 45mg15%
Sodium 1040mg43%
Total Carbohydrate 39g13%
 Dietary Fiber 2g8%
 Sugars 5g 
Protein 17g 
 
Vitamin A 15%Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 25%Iron 20%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Which means I was eating between 1020 and 1360 calories, just in pizza!!! Now I have found that I actually prefer the taste of this combo...

 and  

It's delicious and the entire pizza comes in at 1030 calories. Which means that I could eat the entire thing for as many calories as I was eating in 3 slices of the Pizza Hut pizza. 

It's about making changes you can live with long term. I'm not going to eat it once if I don't like it, let alone eat it day in and day out for the rest of my life. With all the different options out there I GUARANTEE you that you can find something, anything that is better for you than the crap that helped make you fat. Little changes are better than no changes.  

Friday, August 3, 2012

I Did It My Way

I don't think I've ever posted pictures of my "before" on my blog, mostly because that wasn't the point of the blog but I'm feeling oh nostalgic.

The highest weight I'm aware that I was at was 209.
Going on a float trip!
Homemade Pizza

Smile
Then I realized how miserable I was, how tired I was all the time, how hard it was breathe. I split up with the guy I was dating/living with for other reasons and moved to my aunt's rental house. I was broke and in college and the house was a disaster and had no running water, but I couldn't afford to pay rent. I already had paid for a 1 year gym membership and so I went to the gym to shower. I decided that I was going to try to make myself a better person before I got back into a relationship. One thing I had wanted to do for years was to run a 5k.
So I did a 5k. I still can't say I've run a 5k without stopping but I can say I have successfully completed 7 5ks . 
Sprinting to the end of my second 5K
Running to the finish line of my first half marathon
Then I ran a half-marathon.
Then I ran another.

After finishing my San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon
And then another.

It's been a journey over 2 years and I've lost 27.5 pounds in that time. Maybe not the most impressive weight loss ever but it's steady and I'm maintaining it without hating it. Don't get me wrong I wish I'd been able to lose all 74 pounds I'd like to lose in a year or less but I haven't. I also haven't starved myself or killed myself at the gym. I've done it in a way that worked for me. 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

An update…

It's been a while, life got in the way.

I haven't been running much. I think I've logged 3 miles since my 10k on July 4th and nope that three was not a typo. It was been triple digits nonstop in the StL this summer and I've been having trouble keeping the temps in my house below 85.

I changed gyms. My old gym had no problem charging me an extra 20 dollars and sending me to collections 2 days after my debit card was rejected because I'd lost my debit card and had to have it replaced. Since I hadn't used my membership at all I decided there'd be no love lost and I moved to a much large chain. I thought I'd like the whole small world feel of a gym that was locally owned but really they don't do much in the community nor does it feel very much like its own community. Now I'm at a much larger, more expensive and just a bit further away gym but so far I like it. It's much more focused on the community and helping its members build a healthier way of life. I've been so impressed with the staff in just a short amount of time. 


I've spent the past few day in bed with a pretty nasty bug. Sunday night the boyfriend and I managed to find time to hang out together for the first time in a week and we took advantage of it. We went and saw a movie, then went for a long drive through the middle of nowhere (he and I both do this by ourselves, late night drives in the middle of nowhere with the radio a bit to loud, so we decided to hop in his mustang and head out for a drive.) We came back to my place and I made a quick dinner and we watched some doctor who but my throat started to feel sore, then I started to cough, so he went home, he had classes the next evening anyway and it was almost 6 am anyway. After he left I just went ahead and took a dose of NyQuil and went to sleep since I knew what was coming anyway. By the next day I had the sinus congestion and fever to go with the sore throat and cough. I've been battling it with OTC medications and have been lucky that it hasn't bothered my asthma like it usually tends to. Of course this would all happen on my 5 day stretch off of work and now that I'm feeling better I'm scheduled to go back to work tonight.

I also bought a shiny brand new SUV a couple weeks ago also.

As for my 12 in 2012 goal I signed up for a 5k in August. I'll post more about that later though.

I wanted this post to be a catch up on what has happen and not what i have planned, that's for later. ;)

Besides I have to get to sleep so I can go to work tonight. :(